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Home › Mom of the Month

Andrea Hill

By Sue Poremba

Each month, iParenting.com spotlights a mother who inspires and moves us, who embodies the qualities that we all admire in a person, a woman and a mother. Above all, the Mom of the Month is dedicated to her children. Rich or poor, famous or not, she shines as an example of what mothering is all about.

Standing in a room filled with young ballerinas, Andrea Hill is at her best surrounded by children. Of course, she's used to being surrounded by children. She is the mother of six.

"I always wanted to be a mom," Hill says. "I wanted a large family." Originally, she adds, she wanted 12 children. When asked if she still wants an even dozen, she laughs, saying, "No!"

Instead, Hill developed a very large extended family of dancers, musicians and budding actors through the Arts Conservatory of Central Pennsylvania, a performing arts studio that she and her husband, Alex, opened in 2004 in State College, Pa.

A Lifelong Dancer

Hill began dancing when she was 5 years old and was good enough to gain a scholarship to study at the School of the Joffrey Ballet. Her dance career was cut short at age 17 when she injured her back. She moved from one style of stage performance to another, as she majored in theater at the University of Kansas and then the University of North Texas.

It was at North Texas when she realized that theater wasn't quite right for her. It was also at North Texas where she met Alex Hill, a music composition major, and they began a partnership that combines their love of children and their love of performing arts.

They moved to the State College area where Alex Hill began graduate work at Penn State University, and Andrea Hill was a stay-at-home mom to her first two children, Ben and Merlee. Dance, however, was still her creative passion. When her children were preschoolers, Hill decided to open a small ballet studio to bring in some extra income. She expected to attract a few kids – she ended up with 45 students.

"I tapped into something the community wanted," Hill says. Other dance schools in the area taught a variety of styles and combination classes with the annual performance where each class was brought on stage to do a single routine. Hill's school focused on ballet only, where children were looked at as individuals and progressed at their own rate of speed. Recitals were full ballets, including an annual production of The Nutcracker.

While being a mom is her most important role, running the dance studio and teaching classes give Hill the opportunity to pursue an activity that is important to her. "I loved being a full-time, at-home mom, but I needed that artistic outlet," she says.

Growing a Family, Growing a Studio

Hill's ballet studio grew along with her family. The studio's office often doubled as a nursery for daughters, Hayden and Helen, and son, Nicholas, while Hill instructed her family of dancers.

For many of her students, the ballet studio was a second home, where they would spend their after-school time and weekends. While not every student plans on a career in dance, quite a few of Hill's students have gone on to study dance in college, earned scholarships or have passed auditions to study at prestigious dance schools or dance with professional ballet companies. Every student was left with a love of ballet and an appreciation and understanding of music they'd never get in a regular music class.

Just as the original ballet studio filled one need for the community, Andrea and Alex Hill now wanted to take another step. With so many children, they knew firsthand how difficult it is to juggle activities and transportation. They also needed to find a larger space for the ballet studio. The Arts Conservatory, which provides an all-around opportunity for performing arts education, was born at the same time as youngest son, Tyler. Last year, the Arts Conservatory taught more than 750 students. Hill believes that number will be greater this year.

The Family That Dances Together...

It would be almost impossible for children who grew up with a ballerina mom and a musician dad to not have a natural love of the stage. "My kids love to perform," Hill says. "Although some of them didn't like the work that came with it."

Her daughters all dance. Merlee and Nicholas are involved in the theater, while Hayden and Helen take music lessons. Her oldest son, Ben, graduated from high school in 2006 and is now in the Navy.

Despite the amount of time the family spends at the studio, Hill's own teaching duties meant she saw little of her children during the school year. Her children would be in the classroom all day, and Hill would teach her classes in the evening.

"When Hayden said, 'Mommy, I never see you,' I knew that had to change," Hill says. She first began homeschooling her children when Ben was in 9th grade and Merlee in 7th grade. After a short return to the regular classroom, Merlee and her younger siblings do most of their schoolwork under the guidance of their parents. It was the right decision for her family, Hill says.

"I love getting to know my kids and watch them grow," Hill says. "They are all so different. I feel like I'm building a real connection with them."

Hill still works at balancing a large family and a large dance and performing arts school. "Housework takes a backseat to everything else," she says, laughing. "Besides, with a toddler in the house, any time you clean something up, he gets it right back out again."

Her house may not be immaculate, but Hill has no regrets with the direction her life took over the past 20 years. "I love teaching, and I love what I do at the dance studio," Hill says. "But the most important job in my life is being the mother of my children."



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